Alive
by Ranger-Nova
Summary: XR hadn't been online very long, and he had a lot of questions as he tried to figure the universe out. Booster could usually answer them, but this one was harder.


**A/N:** Just a little piece in memory of Stephen Furst, who passed away this week. Rest in peace.

* * *

Filing—one of the drearier parts of being a Space Ranger, but just being able to say he _was_ a Space Ranger made it all worthwhile. Sitting at his desk in the filing room, Booster felt a thrill run down his spine, the same thrill he'd been feeling for weeks. It had finally happened—his childhood dream had come true. He was a _real_ Space Ranger now! And he was working with _the_ Buzz Lightyear! He couldn't believe it.

"Hey, Booster?"

He turned to look at the little robot sitting beside him at the next desk. Booster smiled. He wasn't just working with Buzz—he had a whole team too! Buzz, Mira, and XR. He and the robot had already become firm friends, filling the void Booster had felt ever since saying goodbye to Buster when he left Jo-Ad. "Yeah, XR?"

The robot was regarding him thoughtfully. "Maybe this seems obvious, but remember I am new to this whole 'existing' thing," he began. "Anyway, I was thinking, and, um... we're probably all going to die, aren't we?"

"What?" Booster jumped up. "Why?"

"Relax, big guy, I don't mean _right now_ ," soothed XR. "It's just that I realised... well, death is a thing, right? I'm not sure I understand it, but I know about it—its there, in my databanks. But I never _thought_ about it until now. I mean, we've been on a few risky missions, and I knew there was a chance of us kicking the ol' bucket, but it didn't occur to me that... that we're probably all going to die anyway, eventually. Organics only live so long, and even robots... well, they don't build us to last forever, do they?"

Booster slowly sank back into his chair. "Uh, yeah... I guess," he shrugged. It wasn't a subject he particularly wanted to discuss—death frightened him just as much as it was beginning to frighten his friend, and he wasn't sure what to say.

"Doesn't that... y'know, bother you?" XR persisted. "How do you deal with knowing that no matter what you do, one day you're just going to... not be around anymore?"

"I dunno. I guess usually I just don't think about it." Booster wished Buzz was there for XR to ask instead. He knew Buzz would have a good answer. Thinking about Buzz made him wonder if his idol ever worried about dying—before he'd met Buzz, he would've said no. Surely the Pride of Star Command wasn't afraid of anything? But now that he knew Buzz a little better, he'd come to realise that his hero was more than just a legend; he was a real person too.

"It's just crazy," muttered XR, shaking his head. "You live your life, and then suddenly... it ends. Off you go to that scrapheap in the sky. What's the point then? We're Space Rangers, we're supposed to protect and defend, but we're just saving people so they can die later. And when we all pop off, who's going to care about anything we did?"

Booster frowned, considering carefully how to respond. He might not be as wise as Buzz, but he would do his best to reassure his friend. "People _will_ care, XR," he said at last. "Look at everything Buzz has done—he's helped so many people. Maybe we'll all be gone one day, but he made things better for everyone _now_ , and that's what matters. You and I have helped people too—we saved the galaxy from Zurg, XR."

XR nodded. "I suppose you've got a point there, big guy."

"People are happier because of something we did, and that... that makes _me_ happy." Booster blushed self-consciously. "We're probably not all going to go down in history like Buzz will, but that's not the point. You don't have to do big things to make a difference. Just look at the LGMs—Star Command wouldn't exist without them. Or even people like... like Sally down at the diner. She always makes our lunch hour better, 'cause she's so nice and friendly." He paused. "I think that's what everyone remembers. People like Zurg have it all wrong—they think they need to rule planets and blow stuff up to be remembered, but even they'll be forgotten eventually. They'll just end up as some boring paragraph in someone's history book. But when you help someone, or even if you're just _nice_ to them, if you make them smile... then you'll have made the universe a little bit better. And... I dunno, this sounds silly... but I kind of think the universe will remember. Even if no one else ever knows about what you did, it'll count." He smiled. "So, um, yeah, I worry about dying, sure. But right now I'm doing the job I always dreamed of, and... and I'm happy to be alive."


End file.
